An addendum to New original Pastels for 2025- I am a lover and follower of nature-Artbygordon is a celebration of the beauty and mystery-in recent weeks, I am realizing my purpose in creating these pastel pieces.
Aspects I’ve learned about Pastels-
This is a large pastel of the Grand Canyon-it is on white paper but the beginning I was relying more on the memory- I was working on depth and colors but the contrast begins to blend in if you work over the image too much.
My next pastel in the works is a smaller pastel and on red paper-the brightness of the pastel will jump out of the red more and I will be more meticulous in going only once over an area.
The image of spring is more the ideas that I’m planning- the colors are vibrant and immediate-no overworking and blending in-very raw. I’m also planning on an ocean scene on blue or green.
- The less you work an image the better: Work from life and get the details together without working up the layers-the tooth of paper takes a certain amount of pastel and then it is hard to overlay color.
- Soft pastels can overlay paper that has been overworked: it just takes more work to perfect.
- Before you begin a pastel, have a plan: Know where the lights and darks will be and accurately capture how they react by going from life.
A New Series of Pastels 2024-2025
New original pastels for 2025 will be added to the Fine Art America site soon. A new direction in Pastels on paper for Artbygordon: A study of light and shadow. Previous studies in pastel were more for the scene, capturing often an imagined scene or something I wanted to convey of places I had been.
The approach now is more of capturing a technique and taking the approach to see how far I can get adding light to a subject. I want the viewer to look at the work and not understand where the light is coming from. Every time I think I have accomplished this technique, another idea comes to me and I start another pastel.
The images of the light are all from one area on Scenic Drive in Rowlett, Texas-the light on Lake Ray Hubbard in the morning lights up the lake and you can barely see because it’s so bright. This intense brightness is what I have worked on creating in the these pastels.
Inspiration for Isolating light-Scenic Drive Rowlett, Texas
I am in the process of reviewing pastel brands. I’m reviewing on brilliance, permanence and ease of use-Ie Sloppy, clean, soft or too hard.
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